Teaching my kids

Fetching my kids from school, the car is noisy with comments. "Mama, Ustazah S just gave me 28 marks for hafalan (Qur'an memorized recitation). She gave F a full 40 marks. My hafalan is equal with F!" Talking with my kids in the car on the way home from school and during meals are valuable time for me. I like my kids opening up to me. "Well honey, maybe his tajwid (rules of Qur'an reading) of makhraj (pronounciation) is better than you," I rationalized. "No mama it's about the same. I have already checked that. Well at least give me 32 marks, not 28 only since our hafalan is comparable". When it comes to such reasoning that my kids give to me, I'm always speechless. As a teacher myself, I always defended my kids' teachers. But I know that teachers are just human that are full of flaws. It make me wonder how many students of mine complaint about me to their parents. "Oo.. You are o.k mom. You are friendly when you are teaching". Teaching in my kids school, I have taught two of my kids. Some unavoidable situation - not enough English/Maths teacher, English teacher furthering study in the middle of the year, .... Still as I mention in my previous blog, I'm looking for my weaknesses so that I can improve my teaching.

Once my son complaint to me why am I giving Abu 2 marks in one particular section and he only got 1 marks even though their answers are much the same. I simply told him "because you are my son and I am teaching your class". "This is not fair!" he complaint. "Son, you must understand that I must not just be fair but I must be seen as fair. Every parents and other teachers in the school are watching me to see whether I play favoritism, teaching my own son". My son will turn away in frustration. Once when I hand out their result, some students made a remark to me. "Teacher, why your son only got XX mark? Pity him!". My son was one of the better one in class and they were surprised of his lower score.

I'm glad when I got to teach my own kids because I can make sure they get proper lesson. But it will be a disadvantage to my kids in terms of score and they don't like that. At home, I'm a mother, not a teacher. Not that they don't always listen to me but the problem is they always procrastinate and find excuses not to study with me. Maybe because when teaching my kids at home, I'm a tigress, or close to that.

Now my eldest in already in year one doing his first degree. Kids are leaving the nest so quickly. I must cherish the time I have with my kids. My challenge now is to make sure my second son study with me as much as possible in preparation of his SPM examination. That's quite a tricky business for he is quite elusive.

Cherish our time with our family. May Allah bless us all.